taliban

noun

1. a Muslim fundamentalist group in Afghanistan.

noun

1. (in Afghanistan) a fundamentalist Islamic army: in 1996 it defeated the ruling mujaheddin factions and seized control of the country; overthrown in 2001 by US-led forces, although reistance continues, esp in the south

Sunni fundamentalist movement in Afghanistan, Pashto plural of Arabic tālib “student;” so called because it originated among students in Pakistani religious schools. Group formed c.1993. Often incorrectly treated as singular in English.